Private James Charles Martin (3 January 1901 - 25 October 1915) was the youngest Australian known to have died in WW1. He was only 14 years and nine months old when he succumbed to typhoid during the Gallipoli campaign. He was one of 20 Australian soldiers under the age of 18 known to have died in WW1.
After the outbreak of WW1, he enlisted in the Al F on the 12th of April 1915, against the wishes of his family. His parents finally agreed however, when he made it clear that he would sign on under an assumed name and never write to them if they did not consent. He gave a false date of birth to the recruiting officer, claiming to be 18, when he was actually 14 years and three months. In June 1915, Private Martin was deployed to Egypt, arriving there in late July.
In late August, the boat he was on was torpedoed by a German submarine off the island of Lemnos and Private Martin was rescued after spending four hours in the water. After being picked up, he re-joined his battalion and headed to Gallipoli. During his time at Gallipoli, he wrote to his family telling them that the Turks are still about 74 yards away from us" and asked them not to worry about him as "I am doing splendid over here".
As the campaign dragged on, winter approached and the weather on the Gallipoli Peninsula began to take its toll on the soldiers in the trenches. Following a period of cold temperatures and heavy rain, Private Martin contracted enteric (typhoid) fever in the trenches.
After suffering mild symptoms for about a fortnight, during which time he refused treatment, he was subsequently evacuated to a hospital ship on the 25th of October 1915, after he developed diarrhoea. He died of heart failure that night, at the age of 14 and nine months, and was buried at sea the next day.
Lest We Forget.
Information came from Wikipedia. Photograph came from the Australian War Memorial. Image file number AWM P00069.001.
